sign in sign up
<<
Home , Albert Hall (baseball), Candy Maldonado, Chicago Cubs, Chili Davis, Chris Speier, Clark (mascot)

: THE FRIENDLY CONFINES AT AND ADDISON

to right. An later, reached came in to try to the win for the Cubs. DAWSON HITS FOR CYCLE on a wind-blown when Davis got a in the seventh . Dunston AS ROOKIE EARNS misplayed his fly ball. Martinez then tripled to deep walked, stole second, and scored on Martinez's center, clearing the bases. This brought San Francisco , his third of the game. FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR skipper Craig to the mound to make a change. Maddux picked up his first win of the season Righty Greg Minton came in from the and while lasting only five and allowing three APRIL 29, 1987 Mason left for the showers. Maddux reached on a runs (two earned). He struck out six, walked two, 8, 4 fielder's choice and Walker singled, making the score and yielded seven hits. Despite the short outing, his now 6-3. Dawson added a two-out single to load the , , had faith in him, saying, "I By Mike 61-iuber bases, but Minton retired Moreland on a comebacker still feel Maddux can better than he did. I think to the mound to end the rally. everybody does, because he has a good arm."9 Lynch In the bottom of the fifth, Chicago added pitched 22/ 3 shutout innings and earned his first save another run. Durham led off with a single, Jody in three seasons (when he struck out Dawson to end Davis doubled, and Minton intentionally walked a game on July 25, 1984), as the Cubs won for only In 1987, his first season Jerry the second time in nine home games for the season with the Chicago Cubs, In the second inning, Maddux "took a low blow,"5 Martinez after Dunston had flied out. When on (they were 8-z on the road). Chicago kept pace with got his MVP season going with a as former Cub drilled the just Mumphrey, pinch-hitting for Maddux, reached 5-for-5 division-leading Cardinals by remaining only one performance against the San Francisco Giants, below the belt with a line drive. He stayed in the Speier's error, Durham scored. the including back. Mason took the loss for the Giants, and joining the ranks of those who have hit for game, and after a few practice tosses to recuperate, With Maddux done for the day, was game the cycle. getting only to outs in the game, this was his After it seasons in , he had signed Maddux pitched to Mason. Mason sent a one-hopper now pitching for Chicago, but he had trouble finding after with appearance in the big leagues until September the Cubs as a free agent in March, taking less into right field. Dawson charged it and threw to first the . Although he allowed no runs in the last Francisco's three-game money than the Expos offered, in order to "play in in time to nail Mason for the out. After the game, top of the sixth, he walked two and threw a ball in 1989. San Manager Craig described the weather Wrigley Field on natural turf that he thought might Dawson said, "I was cheating in a little bit and the dirt with (the Cubs' was halted. winds made it look like Candlestick benefit his tender knees."' hoping he'd hit the ball to me."6 The box score listed was charged with a ). conditions: "The Park. It wasn't pretty, but it was a lot prettier for It was almost the end of the first month of the play as a lineout, RF-1B. Mike LaCoss became San Francisco's third them than it was for us..' b0 baseball, and the NL East second-place Cubs were Davis singled in the third for the Giants. With pitcher in the sixth. After Sandberg grounded out, time the Hawk had collected hosting the NL West first-place Giants in a midweek Jeffrey Leonard batting, Maddux had Davis picked Dawson bashed an opposite-field , but he was This was the fourth "Whenever you get five hits in day game. Only 11,120 fans braved the April weather, off at first base, but the young pitcher threw the ball stranded when his teammates could not bring him five hits in a game. you've done all you're capable as Chicago lived up to its nickname, the Windy away, enabling Davis to go to third. Leonard then home. According to Dawson, "The toughest at-bat five at-bats, I guess the ." His batting City. "Battling a bright sun and strong wind,"z the stroked a single to the right side and Davis scored was probably the triple, because the pitcher was of doing," he told points in his last seven games, Giants committed four errors and the Cubs one, and an unearned run. Again the Cubs answered. Dave ahead in the , and you never know what pitch average had shot up 119 (( .286, as he went ,4-for 29 (a .483 clip). numerous windblown hits drove both managers and Martinez hit a single into right field. Maldonado he's going to get you out with in that situation. It was from .167 to fans percentage rose from .313 to .6to in that crazy."3 Pitching for Chicago was a right-handed fielded it but dropped the ball twice, allowing a good pitcher's pitch, over the plate and on the way His slugging in 12 runs. Three other players, rookie named , making his fourth start Martinez to scamper to third. Maldonado was down."7With the triple, Dawson had now hit for the span, and he knocked , hit for the cycle in 1987 of the season,4 bringing a record of 0 - 2 and an earned charged two errors on the play. After Maddux cycle, becoming the loth Cub to hit for the cycle and all from the Maldonado on May 4, Montreal's run average of 612/ runs per game. For the Giants, grounded to short, singled, driving in the first since Ivan de Jesus accomplished it on April (San Francisco's August 16, and Atlanta's Albert Hall skipper Roger Craig called on right-hander Roger Martinez. Walker stole second and 22,1980. Dawson told the , "I didn't on Mason to toe the rubber. walked, bringing Dawson to the plate. He lined a know I had never hit for the cycle, but this is a game on September 23). The Giants struck first on doubles by to right. Walker scored, but Sandberg was out I won't forget. It came with a new club after playing Dawson, the 1977 National League Rookie of and . Chicago answered in the at home. struck out, but the Cubs to years with another club."' the Year, finished the 1987 campaign with a league- home runs, 137 RBIs, and 353 bottom half when Dawson launched a two-out had taken the lead. In the seventh, Noles's wildness on the mound leading 49 His season culminated in winning , his sixth of the season, to the score. The Giants scored the equalizer in the fourth continued as Leonard drew a walk. Maldonado (it in this game)." Valuable Player Award, playing in his The Chicago Tribune's sports section showed a on rookie Matt Williams's second home run of the advanced him to third with a single, and Harry the NL's Most photo Game, and taking home his seventh of the fans scrambling for the ball in the left- season. In the bottom of the fourth, Chicago took Spilman lifted a to left, Leonard scoring. fourth All-Star field and fourth . bleachers. the lead for good. led off with a single

248 249 WRIGLEY FIELD: THE FRIENDLY CONFINES AT CLARK AND ADDISON

The Cubs did not fare so well, finishing the season [1iF)" !ZOP TS T JE After 11 seasons with the , Andre Dawson with a 76-85 record. was named National League MVP in 1987, hisfirst season with the Cubs, tyingfor the major-league lead with 49 home runs andpacing the majors with 137 RBIs. SOURCES AUGUST 1, 1987 (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) In addition to the sources mentioned in the notes, the author CHICAGO CUBS 5, PHILADELPHIA 3 consulted baseball-reference.com, mlb.com, and .org. By `Dory Costello NOTES "Dawson Still Taking His Cut, Goes 5 for 5 for the Cubs," , April 30, 1987: 303.

2 "Dawson's Cycle Runs Over Giants," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 30, 1987: 32. HALL OF FAMER ANDRE DAWSON HAD HIS Hume loaded the bases on a single and two walks. 3 , "Dawson's Cycle Gets Cubs Rolling at finest year in 1987 after joining the Chicago Cubs As Bill Jauss of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Hume Home," Chicago Tribune, April 30, 1987: 47, 54. as a free agent. He became the National League's couldn't locate the plate Saturday. He walked seven 4 Maddux had appeared in six games in 1986, making five starts Most Valuable Player, leading the NL in homers Cubs and threw 91 pitches, 43 of them called balls."7 innings. He record and throwing 31 had a 2-4 and 5.52 ERA. with 49 and RBIs with 137. Both were easily career Dawson, the , ripped the ball toward 5 Mitchell. highs for him.' left field. Schmidt made a leaping backhanded stab 6 Ibid. The peak moment in this peak season came at and stepped on third for an unassisted . It 7 Ibid. Wrigley Field on August 1. He hit three homers and was nearly a , but Schmidt decided not to 8 Los Angeles Times. drove in all of Chicago's runs in a 5-3 win over the throw to first, where Leon Durham was scrambling 9 Mitchell. . "It was a one-man show by back.' Hume walked , loading the

IO St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Dawson today," said Phillies manager .' bases again, but got out of the inning when Keith Moreland grounded into a 6-4 force. 11 Mitchell. Dawson had 39 multi-homer games during his 21 Lancaster, allowed 12 Dawson hit 27 of his 49 home runs at Wrigley Field in 0987. years in the majors — eight of them in 1987. He had The Cubs starter, rookie Les Of his 49 blasts, 37 came in day games. one other three-homer game, on September 24,1985, no runs and just two singles through the first three when he was with the Montreal Expos. That outburst innings. He was struck on the inside of his right also came at Wrigley. Dawson drove in eight runs — a (pitching) forearm by Milt Thompson's liner in the single-game career high — in a 17-15 Montreal victory. third, but stayed in the game.9 Yet he called his showing on August 1,1987, "a bigger Dawson staked Lancaster to a 3-o lead in the thrill, because it came before the home crowd."3 He bottom of the third. , who reached added, "A love affair has developed between us. I base in four of his five plate appearances, led off really respect these fans here." He got a standing with a walk. With one out, Durham doubled, ovation after each homer, plus curtain calls for the putting runners on second and third. The Hawk then second and third.4 connected for his first homer of the day. He "had no It was 90 degrees and very humid that Saturday doubt" about the drive, which landed deep in the afternoon — night baseball at Wrigley was a little over bleachers in left-center field.i° a year away — and 33,002 "sweltering but satisfied The Cubs threatened to add more as Mumphrey fans" attended. Dawson noted, "I was tired, but the singled and Moreland walked, but Hume escaped heat and humidity helped. When you're tired, the bat again by getting to ground into a 6-4-3 feels heavy and it helps cut down on your swing. You double play. The veteran catcher was starting for the can get your hands into it more "S second straight day because first-stringer Jody Davis It took a brilliant play by Mike had gotten in manager Gene Michael's doghouse Schmidt to prevent an even bigger day for Dawson.' that Friday. Davis was late to batting practice after In the bottom of the first inning, Phillies starter Tom filming a commercial."

250 251